Posts: 14

Topic: sirspheres and therashperes are working for me!

Hi! i haven't posted in awhile, but i do want to give youa n updte- wayne had mentioned about radioembolization and i jsut want to let you know that interventianl radioloy has proably given me much more time to work on fighting this. a eyar ago today, i was told i had 6-8 months. Here it is a eyar later, still haven't tried chemo, (chicken) and i work fulll time and feel great- watch the attached webinar for info you need and visit the Y90 support site for more info alsoGo to the link below to listen: put in your name and email address and for company just put in y90

Re: sirspheres and therashperes are working for me!

Re: sirspheres and therashperes are working for me!

Barb- you can email me at dslbelle@yahoo.com and I will give you a run down of the procedure if you like.

Tom- sirspheres are in resin beads, and theraspheres are in glass beads. The quantity fo the dose is different also. I have had two doses of sirs and 1 of thera- the reduction of my liver tumor is phenominal! My tumor started in my bile duct and spilled out onto my liver and was a giant mass. Depending on size and location, it has been known to make some eligible for a resection! It is only liver mets and tumors

Re: sirspheres and therashperes are working for me!

Re: sirspheres and therashperes are working for me!

Dear Becky, My husband, Anthony, was diagnosed with intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma in April last year. We live in London UK and, athough we are at an excellent hospital for liver diseases ie King's College, it isn't always easy here to find the latest treatments that are available in the USA. However, having heard about your experiences of sirspheres, we started to look for it here but, just when our hospital is starting to offer it for this cancer, we find that Anthony may have two lung metastases. The doctors are currently reviewing his case to see if it might still be possible but I wondered, in the mean time, whether you, or any one else on this site, have heard of any one having sirspheres despite having lung mets. I would be very grateful for any advice on this. Thank you Pauline

Re: sirspheres and therashperes are working for me!

Re: sirspheres and therashperes are working for me!

Mercedes.....it is very likely for this treatment to be available in Switzerland. You might want to contact your local physician for referral to a major medical center. Personally, I don't recall meeting any physician from Switzerland however, the TACE treatment is being discussed and data is being presented at the major conferences which are attended by physicians and researchers from all over the world. Thinking of you and sending my best wishes.

THIS INFORMATION IS NOT INTENDED NOR IMPLIED TO BE A SUBSTITUTE FOR PROFESSIONAL MEDICAL ADVICE. YOU SHOULD ALWAYS SEEK THE ADVICE OF YOUR PHYSICIAN OR OTHER QUALIFIED HEALTH CARE PROVIDER

Re: sirspheres and therashperes are working for me!

Mercedes--- Marion is correct ,your primary physcians should be able to refer you in the right directions. I also, found this infor which you can investigate if you wish.....Institut Jules Boordet, I believe is in Bonn, Germany. Here is their web site for more infor... (www.infor@sirtex-Europe.com). There are others but this one popped out during my search. Appears to be a modern and up to date facility. But like Marion said, get your Primary care doctor to make some referrals.Bless Ya!Jeff G.

Re: sirspheres and therashperes are working for me!

This thread is very timely for me. My case was presented to the MD Anderson Liver Study Group in July (I guess I am considered an unusual case). I have mixed cholangiohepatocellularcarcinoma, complicated by chronic hepatitis B and extensive cirrhosis. There are 7 small tumors scattered throughout both lobes. (The largest tumor is only 1.2 cm, and the smaller ones are barely visible on scan). Oddly, my remaining liver reserve is functioning at a very high level with all normal lab values. I have high energy and work every day.

I am not a candidate for liver transplant, and they said radiofrequency ablatioin is too dangerous for me, but they would consider treating me with SIR spheres at some future date.

I will follow this thread, as I am most interested to know anyone who has had this procedure done, and their experience. Tumor shrinkage? Side effects? Insurance battles? Tell all!

In the meantime, I am doing great on my Tarceva/gemcitabine/cisplatin regimen. No side effects, and swimming every day!

Re: sirspheres and therashperes are working for me!

Violarob,My husband's dx is almost exactly like yours. To him chemo was not an option. He has had Cyberknife treatments twice and right now seems to have this terrible disease under control. Of course we hold our breath from scan to scan. He was just C-scanned last week and the doctor was very pleased with the results. The first treatment was for 3 tumors (one quite large) in his liver and the second treatment 5 months later was for another tiny tumor in his liver and a tumor on his spine. The only side effect was fatique for a while and the insurance company did allow treatment. Hope this may help in your searching process.Karen

Re: sirspheres and therashperes are working for me!

Hello everyone,Thanks for the help. I have contacted Dr Kennedy and he referred me to the company who makes the spheres who in turn referred me to a specialist in Zurich. I just got off the phone with him and I will send my mom's file so he can have a look at it. I'll keep all of you posted.

Re: sirspheres and therashperes are working for me!

Hi There,My dad had therasphere treatment at Northwestern for one large right-sided tumor, and it reduced the size substantially. Unfortunately, he has too many now on the left side and in his lungs, and is in too weak a condition to have the left side treated. His docs also followed up with Xeloda, stating that the thera and this chemo show good results used in tandem. The right side is still stable, but as I said, the left is untreatable, and the Xeloda didn't help there.

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